Today’s meditation may not be somber, but it is serious.

I believe in the morning routine. I worship in the house of the Leisurely Breakfast. And yes, I am a dedicated proponent of breakfast in bed.

Since you asked (no one asked, Annie) I will share with you my morning ritual. Please note my dedication to this routine– I will wake up far earlier than is actually necessary just to be able to begin my days as follows:

– Sit up, check the time.

– Open the blinds and take in the day/ scope out the weather.

– Make one bowl of Trader Joe’s instant oatmeal. Microwave for a long ass time so as to sufficiently puff up the oats. Add a small spoonful of berry preserves to sweeten.

– Carry bowl to table (sometimes it is necessary for one to use one’s T-shirt as a buffer to avoid burning one’s fingers on the bowl).

– Peruse various blogs, check email, allow oatmeal to cool slightly.

– Eat oatmeal while reading/ responding

– When finished with oatmeal, place bowl in sink with some water to soak

– Get dressed/ wash my face/ put on makeup/ brush teeth

It isn’t all that exceptional, but it’s a routine that fulfills me, that constitutes a blissful foundation for the rest of the day.

A day is this wonderful gift. True, our days are often filled with the menial annoyances of work, responsibility, taxes and gas prices, but a day is a vignette in this thing we call life. It’s a whole bunch of hours where you get to live and laugh and love and how cool is that?

I steadfastly hold to the notion that the tone with which we begin our day is hugely predictive of how the rest of it will unfold. You will all have no doubt experienced “one of those days” when it seems as though every factor that can go awry does; you wake up and something just feels off. You don’t leave yourself enough time to get ready and you end up rushing like mad, stubbing your toe a couple of times, spilling your coffee, and yelling at your family. And that feeling follows you around, setting into motion a series of fatigued, moody, rushed events, that all began with how you began your day.

It is of utmost importance, then, that we purposefully claim our mornings. That we construct a routine which will make us feel our best, that will usher us brilliantly and smoothly into the rest of the day.

This is a call to arms my candy apples: do not give your mornings the shaft! Stop viewing mornings as simply the “before” picture to the rest of the day, and start giving these precious hours the respect they deserve!

Do whatever you need in order to achieve a sense of leisure, gratitude and joy in the morning. Perhaps that will mean packing a lunch the night before, picking out your clothes in advance, or waking up a bit earlier to ensure you aren’t rushed. Maybe it will mean making time to check your email, or not, or a cup of tea, or a five minute phone call with your sister or colleagues. Maybe it’s just a skin product that makes you feel particularly luxurious. Or a crossword puzzle (I’m thinking off the top of my head here, people). Let it be a small injection of happiness or a grand-scale overhaul. But let it be.

Your mornings are your own. They are moments in which to collect yourself, to pamper yourself, to establish the direction of your day. Instill them with the necessary ingredients to make you feel your best.

These days are your life. Begin them as you wish to live them.

Image credit: Rubie Green